Last Saturday, all the stress Ethan had been carrying because of the girls in his life seemed to be cleansed away—thanks to him immersing himself in sketching ideas for classroom decoration.

There was a bit of nervous anticipation as he clicked “Send” on the email to class monitor Lucas Vu, CC’ing the rest of the 11D boys.

At the end of the first school day of the week, class monitor Lucas came to give Ethan direct feedback.

“Whoa, your idea for decorating the class for Vietnamese Women’s Day is seriously awesome, Ethan. But I feel like it’s kinda complicated and has too many handcrafted details. Do you think we can pull this off in just a month?”

Lucas looked at his phone calendar, clearly concerned.

“Oh wait—it’s actually just three weeks left, because the classroom has to be fully decorated a week before the event. So that’s by October 13th!”

“I think I can manage. As long as you guys each help with a part.”

Ethan was confident in his crafting skills. To him, DIY was practically a game.

“If you need to buy supplies, just ask Royce to cover it, and don’t forget to get receipts to hand over to Simon Tran, the class secretary.”

Lucas grinned and showed him a figure on an Excel spreadsheet.

“Thanks to you and Royce, our class budget has grown like crazy. We can afford top-quality materials without asking anyone to chip in.”

“Hehe, if Ethan accepts that boxing challenge from Autumn , we might even have enough money to treat the class to Haidilao!”

Somehow, the story of Autumn challenging Ethan to a boxing match had reached Royce’s ears—even though Ethan swore he hadn’t told a soul.

And since Royce always ran away at the sight of Flora, it was probably Autumn who spilled the beans.

“Sigh… we’re not even in the same weight class.”

Ethan sighed yet again.

A quiet unease fluttered in his chest like a butterfly, stirring feelings he couldn’t quite define—and whatever they were, they weren’t pleasant.

“Ethan Duong, class 11D?”

A girl’s voice rang out from the classroom doorway. It was melodic, smooth as a song—but carried a terrifying authority that sent chills down every guy’s spine.

Four tall boys suddenly froze like startled deer facing a pride of lionesses.

“It’s the Femme Fatale trio. You’re dead, Ethan!”

Royce’s face turned ghostly pale. If his “system” were visible, his Fear-of-Girls meter would’ve maxed out instantly.

Even normally confident guys—like the slightly flirtatious class president Lucas —showed unmistakable signs of dread. And Simon Tran, the class secretary who rarely spoke, didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

From the door of class 11D, three tall, elegant, and stunningly beautiful girls were walking toward Ethan. Their stride was smooth and graceful, as if the classroom had become a catwalk. They moved in perfect formation, just like contestants in a beauty pageant—with the most eye-catching one at the center.

As a group, they gave off a dazzling mix of confidence and charm like Victoria’s Secret models—yet at the same time, there was something dark, alluring, and almost deadly about them, reminiscent of Exit Eden.

“Ugh, why aren’t you even a little handsome, huh, Ethan?”

The center girl, Ruby Nguyen, tossed her carefully styled reddish-brown curls and leaned in close to speak, her voice as sweet as it was mocking.

Even though she wore flat ballerina shoes, she wasn’t much shorter than Ethan. Her endlessly long legs made her Harmony uniform skirt look shockingly short.

“But he’s tall, his skin’s smooth, and he’s kinda cute in his own way,” chimed the two girls flanking her—identical twins, speaking almost in unison.

One had pastel pink hair, the other a soft sky blue—clearly the famous twins Anya and Yara. Ethan still didn’t know which was which.

“If you’d like, we can give him a full makeover.”

“Eh, I guess he’s passable as is.”

Ruby clicked her tongue, then fixed Ethan with the piercing gaze of a seasoned predator.

“Let’s go!”

She grabbed Ethan by the tie and dragged him along like her personal servant. Behind her, Anya and Yara smiled slyly and followed like a pair of stylish shadows.

“Damn, Ethan’s one lucky guy.”

“If it were me, I’d bring a leash so they could just clip it onto my neck.”

“I’d crawl behind those girls any day, no hesitation.”

A few of the guys still lingering in class 11D couldn’t help but comment in awe.

(Bunch of hopeless simps.)

But Ethan didn’t feel lucky at all. He wasn’t exactly the type who enjoyed being manhandled.

“W-Where… where are we going?”

Ethan stammered, addressing Ruby.

“To the canteen!”

“Why?”

“It’s lunchtime, duh.”

“But… why do I have to go with you guys?”

Suddenly, silence. Complete, total silence. Even chatterbox Royce shut his mouth. You could hear a mosquito buzzing by.

“You drew our names in the ‘Take Care of the Girls’ lottery for Vietnamese Women’s Day, remember, Ethan?”

Ruby tugged sharply on his tie, making him cough as it squeezed against his throat.

“So starting today, you’re responsible for taking care of our breakfasts and lunches.”

“I’m gonna pass. There’s no rule that says I have to participate.”

“Wow. That’s bold, Ethan. No one’s ever said no to us before. Guess we’ll have to punish you. Let’s go!”

Utterly helpless, Ethan followed the Femme Fatale trio. He had no idea what fate awaited him.

“Wait!”

Just as the group reached the canteen, class monitor Lucas Vu mustered all the courage he had to speak up. As class monitor, he felt it was his duty to protect Ethan.

“There’s still a week left before the official start of the ‘Take Care of the Girls’ event for Women’s Day on October 20th. You’re breaking the event guidelines. We’re supposed to take care of you girls according to schedule to avoid overlap or conflicts.”

“Heh. Let me ask you this, then—what exactly is the purpose of this ‘Take Care of the Girls’ event?”

“To honor and appreciate Vietnamese women for their contributions to family, society, and the country.”

Lucas replied confidently, full of conviction.

“So you honor and appreciate women by forcing us—young, innocent girls—to follow some schedule dictated by a bunch of patriarchal men?!”

Ruby emphasized every word, her voice rising and falling like she was using vibrato, adding an almost theatrical intensity.

“You let yourselves decide our fates like we’re cattle, drafting names as if we’re prizes to be claimed. You rob us of our right to choose, right on the very day you claim to celebrate women. The irony is astounding. Where’s gender equality? WHERE IS IT?!”

Class monitor Lucas was stunned into silence by her sharp, relentless logic. He couldn’t answer a single word. Ruby’s fiery speech had shattered his confidence.

Her bold, compelling argument—so precise, so intense—brought the entire canteen to thunderous applause from both boys and girls.

Anya and Yara exchanged a quick glance, then started chanting in perfect rhythm:

“Ruby! Ruby! Ruby!”

And just like that, the entire canteen joined in, shouting her name in unison for a full five minutes.

Ruby smiled like a queen, radiant with victory—as if she had just been crowned Miss World.

She raised both hands to her cherry-red lips and blew a flurry of kisses to the crowd, while students playfully reached out, trying to “catch” the invisible kisses floating through the air.

And then, her expression shifted at lightning speed.

One moment she was the picture of elegance and grace, the next she transformed into a brash, barking witch as she turned back to Lucas .

“Now move aside so we can eat lunch! GO!”

Lucas bolted. Whether or not he would one day develop the same girl-phobia as Royce remained to be seen.

And so, from that moment on, no one dared stand in the way of Ruby and the deadly twin duo, Anya and Yara, as they carried out their “punishment” of Ethan.